An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court, yesterday, fixed
April 9 to sentence one Mr Aminu Ado Yarima, who
had on Wednesday, narrated how the devil,
sometime in December last year, deceived him into
impersonating the National Security Adviser, NSA,
Mr Sambo Dasuki.

Aminu, who pleaded guilty to a one count criminal
charge that was preferred against him by the
Police , told the court that it was the same devil that
commanded him to dupe four sitting Ministers
under President Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration. Consequently, he bought a GSM
line, 08034467417, which he used and called the
personal phone numbers of the Minister of Finance
and coordinating Minister of the Nigerian economy,
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Petroleum Minister,
Diezani Alison-Madueke, Information Minister,
Labaran Maku and the Minister of Education,
Ruqayyat Rufai.

Nevertheless, the operation went awry for the 42
years old accused person who holds a Bachelor’s
Degree in Accounting, shortly after he called the
four chosen Ministers and identified himself as the
NSA, demanding to have a private audience with
each of them with a view to discussing certain
issues of great national importance.
Sensing danger, one of the Ministers was said to
have notified the Police which promptly traced the
call and apprehended the accused person.
Meanwhile, though the prosecuting counsel who is
a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, Stanley
Nwodo, told the court that the offence was contrary
to the provisions of sections 132, 324 and 325 of
the Penal Code Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria,
1963, however, both the accused person and his
counsel, Mr Edwin Atta, urged the court to temper
justice with mercy, insisting that it was the devil that
orchestrated the criminal act.

Specifically, the accused person told the court that
not only was he a first time offender, he said that he
has two wives and two kids that depend on him for
survival, adding that his mother died of shock while
he was in detention.
The defence counsel equally urged the trial court to
take into account that the accused person
voluntarily pleaded guilty to the offence, saying he
had since repented of his actions and shown deep
remorse.

However, at the resumed sitting on the case
yesterday, the accused contended Police erred in
law by charging him under section 324 and 325
which deals with cheating, insisting that though he
called the Ministers, he never duped them.
His argument was vehemently opposed by the
prosecutor who maintained that it was already
belated for the accused to amend his plea, just as
he urged the court to go ahead and exercise its
discretion accordingly.
After listening to all the parties, trial Magistrate
Grace Adebayo adjourned for ruling.
Specifically, the charge against the accused reads:
“That you mallam Aminu Ado Yarima, “M”, on or
about the 20th day of December, 2012, at Nyanya-
Keffi road through GSM number 08034467417,
pretends to hold office of the National Security
Adviser and falsely personated to the Minister of
Finance- Dr Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, Ministers of
Information, Education and Petroleum respectively
as holding such office and in such assumed
character attempted to cheat by personation and to
dishonestly induce them under the colour of such
office and thereby committed the offences
aforementioned.”
His offence attracts a maximum punishment of
seven years imprisonment upon conviction.